Alliance
by maverick929
Summary: UPDATE. Please check it out last chapter. Thanks. A new enemy has appeared in Jump City, one that the Teen Titans cannot seem to defeat. The Fentons soon arrive, but the attacks may have more to do with a certain teenage ghost hybrid than even HE knows.
1. Preview

Well, this is the first thing I've ever posted on this site. I've been kinda-sorta working on this since the end of July, and it's only 5-and-a-half short chapters long thus far. But I do know sort of where I want it to go. This is a crossover with Teen Titans, so if you haven't seen the cartoon or read the comic at least once, you might want to do that, so you can better understand what I'm talking about. This is written under the assumption that you know the characters and current situation of both shows, from after "The End" for Teen Titans and "The Ultimate Enemy" for Danny Phantom.

The thing is, I'm not going to bother posting anything unless you want me to. It's going to be hard for me to update this on a somewhat regular basis. Of course, if you fine people show interest, I'll tough it out, but if not… Well, just read the summary and the Chapter 2 preview (I can't really take anything out of context in Chapter 1) and tell me what you think.

Summary: Amity Park has been ghost-free for a while now… almost too long. When inexplicable ghost trouble becomes daily news for Jump City, Maddie Fenton is first on the scene, dragging Danny along for the ride. By the time this is over, a conquest will be attempted, a city will gain a hero, and a team will form… or reform. And in the meantime, the fates of Amity Park and Jump City will hang delicately in the balance.

Sneak preview from Chapter 2:

"_So, do you think Mom's right?" Danny asked._

"_About what?"_

"_Ghosts being in Jump City," Danny answered._

"_Well, I guess anything's possible," Jazz said. "Although I don't know how'd they get there, since we're the only ones with a portal."_

"_No, we're not…" Danny started. "And you know it." _

_Jazz immediately hushed her voice. "You don't think Vlad…"_

"_Yeah, I do. But I don't know why."_

"_Well, in any case, it's about time all those ghosts left Amity Park. Goodness knows you have to go through enough trouble to get rid of them." She smiled quietly at her little brother.  
_

_Returning the smile, Danny said, "Maybe you're right… let the folks in Jump City deal with their own problems, right?"_

"_Exactly."_

"_Well, enough of that. I'm hungry, and unless we go eat dinner soon…" Danny said. "Let's just say I'd like to eat before Dad scarfs it all down."_

_Jazz just laughed. "I'll meet you in there, just give me a minute," she said._

"_Fine, but don't come complaining to me when there's nothing left!" Danny yelled over his shoulder as he walked into the kitchen._

_Jazz was still thinking. How did ghosts end up in Jump City? That's nowhere near here! With these thoughts swimming around her mind, she set off for the kitchen herself, hoping that there was at least a little bit of mac-and-cheese left._

So what do you guys think? Let me know if I should keep going with this, ok? Thanks.


	2. The Enemy Transferred

Wow guys, that response was overwhelming... I honestly was expecting maybe two or three people to say "eh, go ahead, whatever makes you happy" or something. Wow. I love you all! As for how good of a writer I am or how my summary's good and stuff... haha, we'll see if you guys change your minds as this thing progresses.

Well, it's 3 AM, and I just got back froman away football game (I'm in band, I'll probably rant about it at some point). So I _could_ do individual thank-you's and such, but I figure you'd rather have some story. Speaking of which, I have 6 chapters written, but up through chapter 20 laid out, so hopefully I won't leave y'all hangin' for quite a while. For some reason 6 hours on a coach bus seemed to strike me with inspiration...

By now I'm sure you all are thinking, "jeez Mav, get on with the story!" I suppose I must oblige...

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Enemy Transferred** (A/N: Yes, it's official, I suck at chapter titles, but I'll try for you.) 

It was an average Friday afternoon at Casper High. The sunshine poured through the windows, tormenting the high school students as they roamed the halls, each dreading their last period class. However, the weather was the last thing on the minds of three particular freshmen this glorious afternoon.

"It's weird, isn't it. There hasn't been any ghost trouble in over a week! Maybe Amity won't need a hero anymore," said Danny Fenton, with a dreamy expression on his face. "Yeah, that must be it, they must have found someone else to save them every day…"

"Or maybe your parents finally fixed the Fenton Genetic Lock so all those evil ghosts stopped escaping!" Tucker exclaimed.

"Ugh, you guys, don't be stupid. For one thing, Danny, half the town thinks you're the enemy, remember? Does 'Public Ghost Enemy #1' ring any bells?" Sam said, glaring down on the two boys. "And Tucker, you know Danny's parents just got back from that ghost hunter's convention in Los Angeles two days ago," she added.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," sighed Danny. "I was just hoping…"

"Nope, not that lucky," Sam finished for him. "But the lack of ghosts has been worrying me, too…"

"Dude, who cares? Maybe we can actually have FUN this weekend!" exclaimed Tucker.

Suddenly a loud buzz interrupted their conversation, letting them know that they were, once again, late to Mr. Lancer's class. Not that this is a new thing for them – with Danny's superhero status, it was a wonder that they even made it to class at all sometimes.

Sam peered through the doorway with a look of absolute disgust on her face. "Ready for an hour of absolute boredom?" she asked.

"Ready for an hour of absolute boredom," answered the boys.

And together, the three of them walked into class, late again, not knowing that soon, the three teens would be experiencing anything BUT boredom.

* * *

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Metrion –" 

"Hey Raven," a voice echoed, seeming quite distant and therefore unrecognizable. Raven cracked an eye wearily.

"No, I haven't seen Robin, Beast Boy, OR Cyborg; no, I don't know where the remote is; no, I don't want tofu bacon and waffles; no, I don't want to hang out! I just want to meditate!" she said, her voice growing to a shout.

"Raven, it's just me, Robin," Robin said calmly. "You seem troubled. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Sorry, Robin," she answered, feeling slightly better. She started to recollect herself as she went back into the lotus position. "You know that I just like to meditate."

"And I know it's more than that," he said. "You've only left your room twice in the past week. Why don't you just tell me what's wrong?"

"I've left my room more than twice. I do have to eat, you know." She closed her eyes, ready to go back into the more peaceful world of meditation.

A vein throbbed on Robin's temple. He glared at her for a moment before she sighed, resigned to telling him the truth. The mysterious teen stood up, running her fingers through her dark hair, clearly nervous about what she was going to say.

"If you really must know, I've felt a disturbance in the energy of Jump City lately. Something is wrong, I just can't put my finger on it." She stared into Robin's eyes, hoping that he could at least reassurance, even if not answers.

He frowned, puzzled by what she had said. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I think… I think it might be something… paranormal…" she trailed off into a whisper. Regaining her composure she turned around, starting to pace. She added, "But I don't know. Whatever it is, it's not good," she replied.

"Come to think of it, we haven't really had any trouble since the middle of last week," Robin said, attempting to confirm the girl's belief. "I wonder what's going on…"

"I wish I knew," said Raven.

"Me too," said Robin. After a few seconds of silence, Robin sighed. "You know, Star's been bugging all of us to go to the mall with her, why don't you come along? It might help you take your mind off things."

"I'm the only one with my mind ON things," Raven retorted. "I can't afford to take my mind off things."

"You might feel better after one afternoon off," said Robin, putting a hand on her shoulder. "At least think about it."

"Yeah, right, I will," answered Raven shortly, rolling her eyes. Soon enough she was back floating in the lotus position in the corner of her room, eyes peacefully closed, chanting softly, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…"

Realizing that Raven was once again deep in meditation, Robin left the room and joined the other Titans as they ventured out of Titans Tower. After a few minutes of meditating, Raven got up, realizing that she wasn't going to understand any more than she already did. Sighing, she flew out to accompany the rest of the Titans.

* * *

"HI RAVEN! I'm so glad you could join us at the mall of shopping!" Starfire shouted, upon seeing Raven. Raven's only reply was to glare at Starfire and roll her eyes. 

The boys soon caught up to the girls, and upon Beast Boy's and Cyborg's request, they went to the arcade first.

"Hey BB, you got your game on?" Cyborg taunted.

"Bring it on, dude!" Beast Boy yelled back as the pair raced off to play whatever game they ran into first.

"Robin, would you play a game with me?" Starfire asked.

"Sure, Star. You OK, Raven?"

"Yup, just dandy. I love going to the arcade, where all of you waste your time being loud and obnoxious, when I could be meditating or getting something else productive done," she sarcastically retorted. A moment later, she added, "I'll be over there, trying to block out all stupidity."

Once Raven left for the quietest corner of the arcade, Starfire started bugging Robin about which game they should play. Ten minutes of debate later, Robin was nearly pulling his over-gelled hair out with frustration.

"How 'bout a game of air hockey?" Robin asked, as a last-ditch effort. "See, it's easy, all you have to do is use these things" (he indicated the paddles) "to knock the puck into this goal. Want to try?"

"Oh Robin, I am not certain…" Starfire said.

"I'll go easy on you," Robin said, smiling. "OK… ready, GO!"

Within seconds, Starfire smashed the puck into Robin's goal so hard that the cheap black plastic surrounding the tiny slot had cracked in several places.

"Hooray! I am victorious, am I not?" Starfire shouted, jumping up and down with glee.

Robin just stood there, dumbfounded. "Uh… yeah…"

"YAY!" Starfire screamed, overly giddy.

All of a sudden, everyone in the arcade – and the rest of the mall, for that matter – started rushing for the nearest exit.

"What's going on?" Robin shouted. He looked hurriedly in the direction that most of the crowd was running from. "Titans, trouble!"

"Aww, c'mon Robin, do you always have to ruin all the fun?" Beast Boy pleaded.

"Not NOW, BB! We got a few baddies to take down! Titans, GO!" commanded Robin as the team charged them on head on.

The odd thing was, none of them were affected by the Titans' attacks.

"What _are_ these things?" Cyborg yelled.

"I don't know! It's like our attacks keep… phasing… through them!" Robin shouted back as he attempted, to no avail, to combat with one of the creatures.

"Robin, this has no hope!" Starfire yelled desperately. "Please, let us go!"

"Maybe you're right, Star. Titans, fall back!" Robin yelled, as the mysterious enemies continued to wreak havoc on what was left of the mall.

And so the Titans headed back toward Titans Tower, to sort out what they could about this extremely formidable – and seemingly invincible – enemy.

* * *

So, what did you think? All criticism is welcome, no matter how harsh... I don't generally do this writing thing, I'm between a math major and an architecture major...hmm...

An extra-big hug goes to the people that already put this on their favorites/alert lists... without even reading a chapter! I feel so loved... Hugs all around to my lovely reviewers, I'll eventually post individual feedback, but I'm frankly pretty sleepy. And I'll even give a little friendship hug to everyone who took a part in the 122 hits this story got in the first 24 hours, even though there was nothing substantial posted. You'll get a bigger hug if you respond though, that's the only way I'm going to get any better at this. :)

That being said, hope you enjoyed!

Mav


	3. The Pieces of the Puzzle

**Author's Notes (pre chapter 2)**

Alright, there were a few questions raised by reviewers that I thought would be good to answer before I continued.

1) The Titans were indeed fighting, or attempting to fight, a ghost. This one was one of the ghosts from "Maternal Instincts," or in other words, one of those animal-ish things. I had the bear-like one in mind, but it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that they were the ghosts from MI. And that's all I'm saying.

2) OK, I guess it's time to consider Raven's powers, and how they would affect ghosts. I put a lot of thought into this, and decided that since her power is dark magic, it would NOT affect the ghosts. It's not the same stuff as Danny's powers, in other words. In addition, at the time she did not know what she was fighting, and therefore could not successfully attack. Who knows, maybe someday she'll find a way to fight… but rest assured, her "usual" powers will NOT affect ghosts. Sorry about any confusion.

Also, I'd like to mention that I deeply apologize for not going into the fight scene. I'm so terrible at writing them, and I can see it in my head, but I keep forgetting that you can't see what I see. I'll try harder in the future to describe more things for you all, and please, never EVER hesitate to point such things out. I didn't even notice until it was brought up in a review.

One last thing… I was going to post a new chapter once a week, but I couldn't control myself. I'll aim for twice a week, until you guys are caught up with me. Then maybe once a week, we'll see how it goes. But judging by the overwhelming response to this, I'll be quite inspired to keep writing!

More notes at the end of the chapter, including love to the reviewers.

Oh wait... disclaimer... I don't own the Teen Titans or Danny Phantom, but if I did... well, that would be one heck of a Christmas present... -nudges Mr. H- Ah well, it was worth a shot.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Pieces of the Puzzle**

"Good evening, this is Harriet Chin with Channel 4 World News at five o'clock. Our top story this evening is in Jump City, where several mysterious creatures have come to wreak havoc for no apparent reason. We go to Brett Ubetcha on the scene. Brett?... Good evening, Harriet. I'm here outside the Jump City Mall, where just moments ago, several unstoppable creatures destroyed…"

"What?" asked Danny, sitting down on the couch. He stared at the screen, obviously puzzled. "What's going on?"

"Shh!" Jazz snapped. "Just listen – or let me listen – or something!"

"…although unfortunately, the Teen Titans were unable to stop these terrifying creatures. It appears as though their attacks were utterly useless against these monsters. Only time will tell what their motive is. In the meantime, please remind your children to always be safe, and for the time being, avoid all major public places. Back to you, Harriet…"

"Hmm," Maddie said, deep in thought. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say those were ghosts attacking that city."

"Did somebody say GHOST?" Jack cried as he stampeded up from the basement. "Where is he? Where'd he go?" He promptly began checking different spots around the first floor of the Fenton home, including in a flower vase, under the sofa, and in Danny's glass of water, which he checked by dumping its contents onto the floor and peering into the empty glass.

"Relax, dear, there aren't any ghosts," Maddie said soothingly, as she grabbed a towel from the kitchen and started mopping up the water. "Not here anyway. There seems to be an attack in Jump City."

"Then what are we waiting for? Everyone, pack your things, I'll go start up the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle!" Jack shouted excitedly.

"Now wait just a minute, Jack," Maddie said. "We can't just go fight ghosts willy-nilly. We were just gone, remember? What about the kids?"

"They can come with us! I bet they'd love this!" He started heading toward the garage, not exactly tentatively. Fortunately his wife stopped him before he actually got to the RV, and led him back into the house, rejoining Jazz and Danny.

"Jack, what would happen if there were more ghosts in Amity Park? Or if that Inviso-Bill comes back? Who would stop those ghosts?" At this, Jazz and Danny looked at each other and sighed, which went completely unnoticed by their ghost-crazy parents.

"Ah, Maddie, I guess you're right. We'll stay here for now."

"Now that's better. Why don't we all eat some dinner then?"

"Oooh, is it macaroni and cheese, just how I like it?"

"Yes, dear."

Jack scurried off to the kitchen to claim his macaroni and cheese reward. Maddie just sighed exasperatedly, trudging into the kitchen behind him.

Jazz and Danny were still sitting in front of the television, taking in this news.

"So, do you think Mom's right?" Danny asked.

"About what?"

"Ghosts being in Jump City," Danny answered.

"Well, I guess anything's possible," Jazz said. "Although I don't know how'd they get there, since we're the only ones with a portal."

"No, we're not…" Danny said. "And you know it."

Jazz immediately hushed her voice. "You don't think _Vlad…_"

"Yeah, I do. But I don't know why."

"Well, in any case, it's about time all those ghosts left Amity Park. Goodness knows you have to go through enough trouble to get rid of them." She smiled quietly at her little brother.

Returning the smile, Danny said, "Maybe you're right… let the people in Jump City deal with their own problems, right?"

"Exactly."

"Well, enough of that, I'm hungry, and unless we go eat dinner soon…" Danny said. "Let's just say I'd like to eat before Dad scarfs it all down."

Jazz just laughed. "I'll meet you in there, just give me a minute," she said.

"Fine, but don't come complaining to me when there's nothing left!" Danny yelled over his shoulder as he walked into the kitchen.

Jazz was still thinking. _How did ghosts end up in Jump City? That's nowhere near here!_ With these thoughts swimming around her mind, she set off for the kitchen herself, hoping that there was at least a little bit of mac-and-cheese left.

* * *

For the past hour, the team had been trying to figure out just what they had lost that hopeless battle to. And for the past hour, they had come up with nothing. Not for a lack of effort on the Titans' part, though. Raven was in her room, flipping through her many books, hoping to uncover a clue. Starfire and Beast Boy had been observing the strange enemies from the air for a while, only to return to Titans Tower with no more information than they had gained with the Titans' own brief battle with the monsters back at the mall. Cyborg sat determinedly at the computer, while Robin had been scrutinizing every bit of evidence the Titans had ever gained. After examining yet another bit of old evidence, Robin called the team in to report what they had found. 

"Alright Cyborg, let's see whatcha got," said Robin, walking into the living room.

"Still nothing, Robin. I can't find a single living or robotic creature that resembles them," Cyborg said, shaking his head. "AAGH! What _are_ these things?"

"Not living, not robotic…" Robin said, trailing off into thought. "What's left?"

Raven gasped. "I think I know," she said suddenly.

"WHAT?" Beast Boy shouted. "You knew the whole time and wouldn't say anything?"

"Yeah, that's it, I just love wasting time, especially when there's bad guys out there wreaking havoc on the whole town," Raven said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Remember what I was talking to you about earlier, Robin?" she asked, changing her tone to one of utter seriousness.

"Yeah… do you think this is it?"

She nodded. "I think so. But where are they coming from?"

"I don't know…" Robin said, again trailing off.

"Friends, what do you speak of?" Starfire asked. "Do you know something that we do not about these extremely formidable enemies?" She sounded genuinely scared… an unusual trait for the Tamaranean princess.

"If my hunches are right, I think that they're creatures representative of a paranormal universe." Raven said monotonously, crossing her arms.

Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire all blanked out. "And in English?" Beast Boy asked.

"She thinks they're ghosts," Robin said.

"WHAT?" Cyborg yelled.

"But ghosts don't exist!" Beast Boy cried, clutching his head with his gloved hands.

"Yes, they do," Raven said, glaring. "You've even fought them."

"Oh yeah," said Beast Boy, looking ashamed that he and Cyborg had forgotten recent events.

"Anyway, I've been sensing something strange for a while now," Raven continued, apparently unfazed.

"And now that we know what these things are, we'll have a better chance to fight them," Robin added.

"Wait, Robin. How can that be? They're invincible!" Cyborg shouted. "We don't even know how they GOT here, let alone how to send them back where they came from!"

"Yes, friend Raven, how did they get here?" Starfire said, now a definite quaver in her voice. Trembling, she looked at her teammates, as if asking for confirmation that this horrible thing wasn't true. Raven looked at her sympathetically. As much as Starfire could be annoying or naïve, she was always the one to hold the team together, with her cheerfulness and optimism; seeing her upset was more than many could bear.

"I don't know. But it can't be good. I've never even seen ghosts like that before…" She shook her head.

"Oh man, if Raven AND Starfire are worried, then it DEFINITELY can't be good!" Beast Boy cried.

"Yeah, especially since there's nothing we can do to stop them," Cyborg added.

"Just give me some time to think," Robin said, before stalking off to his room.

"I'll see if I can find out anything else," Cyborg added.

Beast Boy and Starfire just sat down in front of the television, neither of them reaching for the remote, obviously pondering the situation. Raven, on the other hand, said, "At last, some quiet," before going back into deep meditation. Cyborg retreated to the main computer as Robin jogged up to his own room, where he had left a few of the more interesting bits of evidence. Starfire and Beast Boy remained on the couch, perplexed, and feeling rather useless in the hunt for information.

Two, and only two, things loomed in each Titan's mind: _Why are there ghosts in Jump City, and how can they be defeated?_

* * *

**Author's Notes (post Chapter 2)**

OK… well, all I have to say is, you people ROCK. No joke. I love you all, everyone gets an internet-hug from me. And to show my love,I've brought you Chapter 2. How bout that, I actually got it up BEFORESunday, which is when I planned on posting. I've been editing and reediting and extending and whatnot, so if something doesn't flow right let me know. Especially grammatical mistakes… oooh, those annoy me. Especially when I make them, how embarrassing.

As I'm sure you've discovered, I'm absolutely horrible at writing narrative. Not exactly my forte… I much prefer dialogue, but sometimes I do forget that you fine people cannot in fact read my mind or otherwise know what I'm thinking. I apologize in advance if anything is unclear. Like these last two paragraphs, for instance.

**crazyanimefreak15**: Thanks for the encouragement! I'll do my best to keep you guys updated.

**CalicoKitty13**: I love crossovers too. I have the creativity of a treestump, so I have to use lots of characters to make up for my lack of originality. Ah well. Glad to hear you're still liking this! Strong writer? You might want to reserve judgment on that… or talk to my English professor, who proclaims that my writing is worthy of nothing better than a C.

**fubukis-wraph**: Writing style? I have one of those? Thanks for the kind words, I feel all warm and fuzzy.

**TallieCat**: Interesting, eh? We'll see what you think a few more chapters in… wouldn't want you to get false hope… and that's all I'll say.

**Danaphantom**: Haha, I love DP too… why else would I be writing this! I'll try to update as soon as I can, but I lead a busy life, ya know. I already answered your question about Raven's powers in the beginning of the author's notes of this chapter, just scroll back up:)

**Writers-BlockDP**: It's true, I really don't like writing. But I'm glad you're enjoying this so far, anyway. I'm sure you don't stink at it… besides, I've never gotten higher than a B in English, and currently I'm getting a C. Yikes. Whereas I can get an A+ in calculus without doing any real work. But anyway, thanks for the love, hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**Kikiness**: Thanks for the advice! I love constructive criticism… like I said, I often forget that you all don't know what's going on inside my head, I'll be sure to fix that in some future chapters. I already added a bunch to chapters 2 and 3. And thanks for the compliment! We'll see how worthy I am of that sort of praise as time passes.

**teenyugiohpotterphantom**: I think we need a nickname for you… and by we I mean I… I'm going with teeny (if you oppose then that's cool), since (a) I like it and (b) that's the first 5 letters anyway. That being said, thanks so much for all the compliments, I definitely wasn't prepared for anyone to like this thing. And favorites list! I'm honored. Thanks so much for your support, hopefully you'll enjoy this a little more before it gets too boring.

**Terra89**: Well with a threat from the Box Ghost, I can't just leave you hanging! I can't update all the time, though, I'm a busy gal. I'll do my best. Oh, and my favorite DP characters, other than Danny, are Jazz and Vlad. They're so much deeper than they appear to be, and the most emotional – whether heartwarming or bonechilling – scenes in the show appear when Danny is with one of these two characters. Teen Titans: Beast Boy and Raven, because it always seems like there's more to them than what's shown at face value. I don't like them as a couple though.

**linkmaste**: Thanks! I'll try my darndest to keep it good and keep it updated!

**Natasha-Li**: Oh I doubt that. I'll have to go read your stuff just to make sure… chances are I've read something and just didn't remember the author. That happens to me a lot. Of course, all I really read is Teen Titans and Danny fanfics.

**Angel of Forgotten Souls**: Thanks! I'll try:)

**Liaranne**: WOW! Liaranne's reading my fic! -does a little happy dance- You, my friend, are an AMAZING writer, and I'm so honored that you're taking time for this. Wow. Seriously, when I saw you reviewed, I was sooooo giddy… my roommate now officially thinks I'm nuts. I'm going to wait to post this on BHF, hopefully I'll get more critical feedback here, and be able to post a better edited one there. Granted, that's if it's still post-worthy. I'm reserving judgment… sensing a pattern?

**IloveCalifornia**: I'll do my best! Thanks for reading:)

**darklite-spirit**: Thanks! -hugs-

**Shadowdancer**: I'll try, but like I said in various other places, I lead a busy life. I'll do my best to update, though.

**Sqweakie**: Intriguing? I hope it is. I'm trying! Let me know what you think as this progresses, I'm afraid it loses its sparkle.

**Fuzzytoesocks**: Thanks! Again, we'll see how interesting you think it is a few chapters from now. But I'm honored, and grateful.

**purrbaby101**: Awww, thanks for the love. Really. I really do try to keep characters in-character, that's my number one pet peeve of fanfics. For some reason I have more issues with the DP gang then with the Teen Titans… which is odd, since I've been a Danny fan for nearly a year and a Titans fan for nearly… four months.

**Inumaru12**: I'll try! No promises, though! I have to keep up with schoolwork too!

**IwuvMyKenshyPoo**: Thanks for the tip, and as I said earlier, I do tend to forget that you, unlike me, do NOT know where this story is headed. I'll edit that, and should I ever post a revised edition of this story, that'll be in there. I've also added a few descriptions to future chapters, now that you mention it.

Holy moley, I have a lot of reviewers... never did I dream, never did I dream. Please keep reviewing though! Your comments were SO helpful, I can't even begin to describe it!

Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! And for the favorites-listings! I love you all! And new reviewers are always always ALWAYS welcome, this won't get any better without your input, even if it's just flaming. Until next time…

-Mav-

PS. This has nothing to do with the story, butif this chapterdidn't entertain you, I know a website that will. Since links don't work here, I'll leave spaces after the punctuation: take them out if you go to the link. Enjoy! (Oh yeah, andthis website isn't mine, it's just something I found while Internet-surfing one day.)

http/ www. milkandcookies. com/ links/ 7452/ details/


	4. Setting the Stage

Formal Author's Notes will follow this chapter, and starting with chapter 4, all the notes with the exception of the disclaimer will be at the end. This way, if you're just interested in reading this, you can. But I must say, I will always give credit to anyone who reviews, so if you said something, I have a comment for you. By the way, anonymous reviews are accepted, so even if you're a faithful, reader, you can still give me some feedback. Once again, several things were brought to my attention through reviews. I am the only person that reads this prior to posting, so there is a decent chance that I messed something up.

Hmmm... I got less reviews on Ch2 than on Ch1... that saddens me... but not enough to not post the next chapter. Only 1:15 AM today, not bad at all, in my book.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, or shows, or anything. Wouldn't that be nice... -sigh-

**

* * *

Chapter 3: Setting the Stage **

Jazz had just sat down to enjoy what macaroni and cheese was left when the phone rang, interrupting the thick silence that had settled over the table.

"I'll get it," Maddie said as she rose to cease the infernal noise. No one really thought much of this untimely call until they realized who the caller was.

"Hello… Yes, this is Maddie… Oh, hi Vlad… yes, it's been a while… yes… Yes, I saw that on the news… really… uh huh… uh huh… thank you… really?… And who else?… I see. And when, again?… Alright, glad I can help. Bye now." She hung up the phone.

"Guess what guys? Vlad Masters" – she let out a groan at the man's name – "has been asked to gather all the best ghost hunters from around the world to capture the ghosts that have raided Jump City! He's asked me to go, but he said that I can take one other person, if I want. He owns the hotel, and all of the rooms can only accommodate two people –" Maddie exclaimed, by now nearly shaking with excitement, clearly not caring that the man she most hated was organizing the whole thing.

She wasn't the only one—Jack too was thrilled by this news. However, the same could not be said of the two Fenton children, who were both gripping the edges of their seats, trying to deny what they had just overheard. Their parents failed to notice any signs of anxiety in their children, as was evident when Jack leapt from his chair to hug his wife.

"Say no more, Maddie! I'll go pack our bags! We'll be outta here in no time!" he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

"Umm, actually, Jack, I was thinking that you should stay here and make sure our home stays safe," Maddie said. "Don't get me wrong, dear, but _someone_ needs to stay to protect Amity Park."

_Yeah, that's what Danny does (I do),_ Jazz and Danny thought simultaneously. Both teens smiled inwardly at the thought. Jazz actually muttered "oblivious" under her breath, which Maddie, not hearing the actual word, took as a sign of excitement.

"Jazz, why don't you come with? You'll get out of school for a few days…" Maddie tempted, smiling at her only daughter.

"No and way, Mom. I don't do ghost hunting. Ever. And besides, I like school," Jazz said, crossing her arms. Maddie frowned, before turning her sights upon her son.

"Well, alright, sweetie. Do you want to go, Danny? Vlad did say that he would love to see you, dear," Maddie said, putting her hand on his shoulder in that affectionate way only mothers know how to do.

"Umm… are you sure Dad can't go? I'm sure he'd love it more than I would…" Danny said, attempting to persuade his mom. But upon seeing the look on her face, he added, "But I guess I do want to go… Jump City sounds like a cool place…"

He really had no desire to hurt his mom's feelings, after Jazz refused and his dad _was_ refused. Of course, he was thoroughly enjoying his week and a half off of ghost hunting, but, hey, all good things must come to an end. Especially for part-time superheroes. Plus, Amity did not appear to be in any sort of danger lately, and that did not look like THAT was changing anytime soon. "When do we leave?" Danny asked, sighing, resigning himself to this task.

"Tonight," his mother replied, smiling once again. "We're taking a private jet out to Jump City at 9:00. So hurry up and pack clothes for about a week, it shouldn't take any longer than that."

"OK, I'll be upstairs," Danny said. He bounded up to his room, shut the door, locked it, and immediately picked up the telephone, dialing Sam's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sam, it's Danny…"

"OK, what's wrong…" Sam started, immediately noticing the quaver in Danny's voice. "Someone find out? Dash beat you up? Paulina turn you down? Again?" She made no audible noise, but it was clear she was holding back a snicker.

"Very funny Sam," Danny said, waiting for this round of sarcasm to pass. And indeed, it soon did.

"Alright, seriously, what's up?" she asked. "And does it have anything to do with… you know…"

"Let me put it this way--did you watch the news?"

"Yeah, I was gonna talk to you about that… looks like we found where all the ghosts have gone, huh?"

"Including Inviso-Bill." Danny sighed.

"You're KIDDING!"

"No I'm not! My mom got invited to go, and she gets to take one person with her."

"And you're the lucky grand prize winner?"

"As always. But you'll never guess who she was invited by."

"Let's see… Vlad?"

"How did you guess?"

"Hmm… toughie… he's in love with your mom, he's your archenemy, and he also owns the only other ghost portal in existence. I bet he's the one who got those ghosts to go there, too." Danny could almost _hear_ her smirking on the line.

Before long, Maddie was shouting upstairs that it was time to go.

"Hey, hon," Maddie called to her son, "are you almost ready?"

"Yeah, mom, just give me a sec!" Danny shouted back.

"That's fine, I'm just going to call Vlad back and tell him you're coming," Maddie said.

"You're gonna what…!" Danny shouted, not pleased to hear that his arch-enemy would now be informed of his visit to Jump City. To cover this mistake, he quickly added, "Oh, call Vlad. Right," he grumbled.

"Come down by the RV when you're ready," Maddie shouted. "And hurry, or we're going to miss our flight!"

Danny then realized that Sam was still on the line. "Oh jeez, sorry about that, Sam," he said, hoping she'd take the apology.

"No problem, you getting ready to go?"

"Yeah, I should call Tuck too, come to think of it."

"Don't worry about it, I can tell him. Wouldn't want your mom getting upset."

"Thanks, Sam. Well, I'm off, wish me luck!"

"Good luck. And take a few extra thermoses, just in case."

"Oooh, good idea. Thanks. I'll talk to ya later."

"Later, Danny."

Sam hung up and proceeded to call Tucker, while Danny tucked his cell phone safely away in his pocket. At that precise moment Maddie called for her son again, expressing urgency. Danny yelled back, "OK, Mom, I'll meet ya down there," as he shoved a bunch of clothes and toiletries in his suitcase. Taking Sam's advice, he also opened his closet door, dug to the very back, and pulled out five or six Fenton Thermoses, a Fenton Fisher, and a few other assorted items.

"You know, one of these days Dad's gonna realize all this stuff is missing," Danny said as he shoved his equipment into his suitcase and squeezed it shut. He went to leave, but as he pulled the door behind him, he ran into his sister.

"Oh, hey Jazz," Danny said, finally shutting the door.

"Are you sure this is safe, Danny?" Jazz asked. "Everyone that can help you will be so far away."

"Jazz, I'll be fine. Besides, there are gonna be a lot of ghost hunters, right? I probably won't have to do anything." Upon Jazz's skeptical look, he added, "Well, nothing that I can't handle, anyway."

She obviously wasn't convinced. "Just be careful. I care about you, that's all."

"I know." Jazz walked forward and kissed her brother's head. He smiled shyly. "Thanks, Jazz."

She simply returned the smile. "It's my job," she said, ruffling his hair. "Need a hand with your bags?"

"Only if Dad's around…" – Danny peered over into the living room, checking to see exactly where his father _was_ – "but he's watching TV," Danny said, a mischievous gleam in his eye. He swiftly and silently went ghost and phased through the floor, approaching the doorway with his bags. He soon flew back up by his sister.

"Remind me to take you flying with me when I get back," he said, grinning.

"I will," Jazz whispered, hugging her ghostly brother. He returned the hug, not bothering to allow the rings of energy to pass over him again. But Maddie soon shouted for Danny for the last time, and breaking apart their hug, the youngest Fenton returned to his human self and trudged down the stairs.

It was with great excitement on Maddie's part and great dread on Danny's that mother and son, once again, set off for some ghost-butt-kicking bonding time. As Danny shut the door behind him, Jazz whispered, "Good luck… I'm proud of you, little bro."

* * *

A very troubled Robin was pacing his room. _How can we fight ghosts?_ he wondered. _We can't, _he answered himself. _No one can._ His frustration was building. _But it must be possible,_ he argued. _They had to be controlled somehow to be able to attack in such large numbers at the same time. But who? And how?_

In fact, he was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to notice Starfire enter the room, her expression glimmering with happiness.

"Friend Robin," she said tentatively, expecting the worst. After a few moments of silence, she said again, louder this time, "Friend Robin!"

"Oh, sorry Starfire. I was just thinking," he said, lifting his head to better look at her. "Whoa, why so cheerful?" he asked, clearly startled to see such bright eyes rather than the fearful ones of such a short while ago.

"As much as I would take pleasure in hearing you speak of what you think," Starfire said, smiling, "Cyborg has finally uncovered some information about our attackers."

"I suppose we should hear it then. C'mon, let's go," he said, following Starfire out of his bedroom, hoping that the rest of the team had found more information than he did.

* * *

"All is going according to plan, then?" a deep voice asked. 

"Of course, what do you take me for, a fool?" snapped a snide voice.

"Forgive me, but so much could go wrong with this plan," the deep voice answered. "Controlling ghosts? Not even I have done that."

"Which is why we'll make a great team," replied the snide voice, smirking.

"With the Teen Titans out of the way –"

"And Danny Phantom on our side –"

"Together, we can rule."

**

* * *

Author's Notes: **

Alright… first off, I'd like to address a couple of questions that a lovely (or handsome, I suppose) reviewer brought up. They're good questions, and the answer would benefit all.

Yes, I said this was current through TUE, but Clockwork will NOT be making an appearance. I started this little brainchild of mine at the end of July, and just reedited a few scenes to accommodate for TUE. So nothing involving time travel or Dark Danny was ever intended to be written, so there is therefore no need for Clockwork. Sorry, I like him too, but maybe he'll get a chance in another fic.

The other question was regarding Maddie referring to Danny Phantom as "Inviso-Bill." Honestly, I entirely forgot that Maddie knew DP's real name, but in hindsight, it's probably better that I used "Inviso-Bill." For one, I could safely guess that Jack especially (if not Maddie) will continue to call him Inviso-Bill, simply because it's a catchy name and that's what the media advertised, generally speaking. For another, I really truly believe that if Maddie knew and exercised use of "Danny Phantom," she would eventually put two and two together and realize Danny's secret. And we wouldn't want that, now would we?

So we'll assume that it's in the back of their minds for this part. If they were reminded, they'd say "oh yeah!" and move on with their lives. Thanks for bringing this up, and please, everyone, continue to point out little details like this. Like I keep reiterating, this is the only way this will get any better.

Love for the reviewers…

**Danaphantom**: It was a good issue to bring up, I'm sure you weren't the only one wondering (about your previous question). Thanks for the support!

**Terra89**: Thanks for the love! I'll try to keep this updated, but I don't have much written, I DO have a lot planned out, and I'm really uber busy. Twice a week is better than once a week, right? That's the quickest I can handle for now!

**teeny**: Haha, I like "teeny"… but anyway… Of course I don't mind the longer reviews! I love feedback! Thanks for the compliments, by the way… I really try hard to keep everyone in-character, please let me know if I slip up a bit with someone. For some reason, I have more issues with DP than TT… hmm…

**IwuvMyKenshyPoo**: Thanks! I try, whether I succeed or not is another question. Thanks for the love!

**Cyberlink420**: Welcome to the fic, first of all… Don't be too eager, I have the creativity of a treestump, it's all quite predictable. As for the ghosts you mentioned, I'll say this (no particular order): One is already written in, I forgot about one of the ghosts you mentioned but I will eventually write him or her in, and one annoys me to no end and therefore will not have a place in the fic. There's a general note about your other questions at the beginning of this section of author's notes. But those were really good points to raise, thank you sooooooo much! It is reviews like yours that help me become a better fanfic author. Oh, and congrats for reading to the end of this really long reply to your review.

**The Halfa Wannabe**: You're probably right, this story is entirely too predictable. I lack creativity, unfortunately. I'll try to throw in a few twists and turns, if I can. Thanks for reading!

**Kikiness**: I'm glad you think so! I really do strive for character in-characterness, yes, I just made up that word. Never hesitate to let me know if anything is a bit off, though. Thanks for the love!

**Fang**: Thanks for reading! And of course Danny will be getting to Jump soon, how else would this be a crossover:)

**Inumaru12**: Thanks for continuing to read this! It means a lot to me. I have so much to do, and yet I'm here, responding to my reviewers. What a good author I am.

**darklite-spirit**: Well, this is all in the same day thus far. Only about 2 or 3 hours have passed from the beginning of this fic, if I counted correctly. It takes the Titans a lot of time to figure stuff out in the cartoon, too. And besides, this story would be ridiculously short if everyone knew everything right away! Thanks for the review, though, it's definitely something I'll keep in mind! -uberhugs-

**ChessYogaTitans47**: Awww, thanks, I'm really touched. That means a lot to me. As fair warning, these last few parts have been around since the end of July, and have therefore undergone lots and lots of revision. The newer stuff is almost guaranteed to be not-so-hot. But I appreciate your love! -uberhug-

**crazyanimefreak15**: Hmm, I think you need a short name too… but alas, a job for another day. I'm glad you think this is suspenseful… I think… I love cliffies, so I'll be writing them often. Thanks for reading!

**CalicoKitty13**: I'm glad you like. This is just scratching the surface of the problem though. And if it's intense now… yikes. Thanks for the support!

**dfd**: Thanks for responding! All I will say is, good things come to those who wait. ;)


	5. Arrival

For future reference, the following disclaimer applies throughout; frankly, I'm tired of typing it. I don't own Danny Phantom, I don't own Teen Titans, I'm just a college kid that still likes cartoons. For real.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Arrival**

Starfire led the way to Cyborg's room, a definite spring in her step. Robin followed close behind at a slighter quicker pace than normal, although he refused to let himself get too optimistic.

"Alright, whatcha got, Cy?" asked Robin, peering at the computer screen as he and Starfire joined the rest of the Titans.

"Says here that there are only two man-made ghost portals in existence – so that's how they must be getting in."

"Makes sense. Do you know where they are?" Robin asked, intrigued.

"I couldn't get exact locations. But I did get owners. One belongs to Vlad Masters –"

"Who's that?" asked Beast Boy. "I've never heard of him! Is he a football star? A pig farmer? A super-smart techno geek? A FISHERMAN?" As he listed off each of these potential jobs, he changed into an outfit and grabbed a few props to represent what he had said.

"We don't know what he does," answered Raven, pulling the fishing hat and vest off of Beast Boy, while using her powers to destroy the fishing pole lodged in his left hand.

"Apparently he's just some really rich dude that lives in a castle in Wisconsin," Cyborg answered. He shrugged.

"There's castles in Wisconsin?" cried Beast Boy. He shrieked and fell over from the shock. Everyone stared at him for a moment, rolling their eyes. "What?" he asked, sitting up straight. "Don't tell me you've ever heard of castles in Wisconsin!"

"No, but we all know that you can do anything if you're rich," Raven said, arms crossed. "Think about it."

"Dude, this guy's gotta have a LOT of money to build a castle in Wisconsin," Beast Boy said, stroking his chin in thought.

"Thanks, Sherlock," Raven said, glaring at the changeling. "The better question is, how he _got_ his money, not how he spent it."

At this point Robin was tapping his point in frustration, waiting to hear the rest of Cyborg's information. It took a rather large "ahem" from Starfire to stop Raven's and Beast Boy's bickering and/or brainstorming, but eventually all eyes focused back on Cyborg—or rather, Cyborg's computer.

Robin stared at the glowing screen, trying to make sense of this new data. After scanning the monitor for a brief moment, he turned his attention back to Cyborg. "Where's the other portal, Cy?" he asked.

"It's in a town called Amity Park, but there's no state given. The good news is, it's owned by ghost hunters, so I doubt they're comin' in through that one," Cyborg said, pointing to a small digital of two people, with a caption saying _Maddie and Jack Fenton, experts in paranormal/ghost studies_. Cyborg shrugged. "But in any case, neither portal seems to be anywhere near here, so I dunno how all the ghosts got here."

"We don't know that," Robin said. We have no idea where Amity Park is, it could be a mere couple miles outside Jump City!"

"No it couldn't," Raven said with a tone of utter superiority. "I would have felt it. We don't have anything to worry about in Amity Park. And besides, ghost hunters own the thing, if ghosts really were getting out of there they should be able to take care of the problem themselves." She finished speaking, a very content look on her face.

"So it is your belief that we should be more concerned with the owner of the portal in Wisconsin?" Starfire asked, no longer sounding terrified, as she was only a few short hours ago.

"Seems like a good idea," Cyborg said, nodding in agreement. "Unless there's some other way to get super-combat-ghost-dudes to Jump City."

"That's the only way!" cried Robin. He sighed. "Did you find out anything else?"

"Nope, that's it," Cyborg replied, glancing at his screen. Suddenly his eyes focused on a minute detail in the lower left corner of the computer monitor. "Wait a minute…" he said, trailing off as he rapidly started typing different combinations of letters and numbers.

"I got something!" he shouted triumphantly. "Let's see… there's a guy rounding up a bunch of professional ghost hunters to get rid of the problem," Cyborg said quickly. He continued scanning the information. Suddenly his eyes grew wide, and he went quiet.

Robin did not immediately notice. "Great! So we don't have to worry about anything at all!" he cried. "Who is it?"

Cyborg answered so quietly he could barely be heard. "Vlad Masters," he said in disbelief. "This is really weird…" The team was silent for a brief moment, before Beast Boy spoke up, voicing what his teammates were all thinking.

"Wha…? But why would he need to round up ghost hunters if he's the one with a portal? Couldn't he just shove them back in there?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah, he can pick up ghosts the same way we can," snarled Raven. "My guess is his portal is messed up… somehow…" She trailed off into silence.

Robin looked very distracted, even more so than the rest of his team. "Well, we should get to bed. It's late, and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," Robin said, staring off into space.

"Way ahead of you," Cyborg said as he left the room to activate the security system. He returned a few minutes later, to find the rest of the team still in his room. After a "subtle reminder" from Cyborg, it did not take long for the rest of the Titans to head off to their own rooms, ready for a long rest after a long day. However, Starfire, before heading to bed, pulled Robin aside.

"Are you sure we can fight?" she asked him quietly, that utter seriousness—and a hint of fear—present in her voice once again.

"No," he said. "In fact, I'd rather not. But I'm afraid we don't have any choice."

"Then why do we fight?" she asked desperately. "Please, we have no defense against these terrible creatures." Starfire put a hand on his shoulder, as though begging him to stay.

"I know," he said cautiously. "It's this Masters guy I'm worried about. I feel like there's more to him than what we know."

"Oh…" She sighed. "I understand. Well then, good night, Robin. Sleep well."

Robin looked on as she walked into her bedroom. He let out a long sigh, said, "I have a terrible feeling about this," and went to his own room before collapsing onto his bed, fully clothed, falling into a troubled sleep.

* * *

"Ah, Jump City," Maddie sighed as she leaned over to look out the window. It was quite late into the night, and the city glimmered with light radiating from every corner, from shop windows to streetlamps. "I've always wanted to come here. But your father was always too interested in ghosts to bother taking me."

"Umm, OK?" Danny answered. He looked out the window himself, admiring the view. "Yeah, this is pretty cool. And hey, at least we're going the right direction this time!" He laughed, remembering his last plane ride with his mother.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Maddie asked, turning her head to look back at her son. "We got to spend a lot of time with each other."

"Yeah, and a lot of time with evil guy number one," Danny muttered.

"What was that, sweetie?"

"Umm… but too bad you didn't have your ecto-gun?" Danny said, hoping his mom would buy it.

"Danny, you know very well that it's called the Fenton Blaster, with five times the power of your average ecto-gun," Maddie said, crossing her arms. "Don't you ever listen to your father? I'm sure he's told you this a million times." Danny hung his head, which seemed to soften Maddie's reaction. She smiled. "But you're right, it all worked out in the end," Maddie finished, smiling at her son.

_Whew_, thought Danny. _That was close._

Just then, the pilot announced that they had arrived in Jump City, and to prepare for landing. Both Fentons buckled their seat belts and braced themselves for the landing, grateful that they were approaching the ground without parachutes strapped to their backs.

Soon, the limousine holding the two Fentons pulled up in front of a hotel with bright glowing letters that Danny recognized all too well.

"DALV Suites," he read. "He owns a chain of hotels, too?"

"That's odd, I thought we were staying in one of Vlad's hotels," Maddie said, ignoring her son's comment.

"This IS one of Vlad's hotels!" Danny exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Don't be silly, dear," Maddie answered, opening her purse and probing inside it, searching through its contents.

"You know, for being a brilliant scientist, Mom can be totally oblivious," Danny muttered to himself. "And since when does she carry a purse?" Luckily, Maddie was out of earshot, as she was getting the keys from the receptionist.

"Oooh, Danny, we're in one of the suites," she said excitedly, looking up their room number on the map of the building posted in the lobby. "C'mon, let's get a move on!" she added as she ran to the elevator.

"Here we go," thought Danny as he followed her into the now open elevator.

Neither of them said a word until it was time for bed, save Maddie saying "This is it," when they reached the correct room. The room itself came as no surprise to Danny—quite spacious, lush furnishings, pictures of ghosts, and of course, green and gold décor.

"Now Danny," Maddie started, laying her belongings on one of the beds, "I have to get up early tomorrow and meet with the other ghost hunters and Vlad. Are you going to be OK tomorrow morning by yourself?"

"Yeah, mom," Danny said, taking a seat on the other bed. "I'm not a little kid anymore, I can handle it."

"Well, if you're sure," his mother answered. "I'll leave you some money, so you can go out and explore. Breakfast is complementary, by the way," she finished.

"OK, mom, that's great, enjoy your day tomorrow, goodnight," Danny said, laying down and pulling the covers over his head. He didn't mean to sound rude, but he was tired – between the flight, the time change, the late departure time, and not to mention his increasing worry, he was simply exhausted. Maddie seemed to understand, however, as she turned off the light and crawled into bed, looking at her son fondly.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Right off the bat I'd like to address the questions about the villains. Yes, they are who you think they are, but just in case, I'll leave them unnamed. They're very, very guessable. But I like them, so here they are. So if we know who they are, then why does Mav leave them unnamed, you ask? Couple of reasons. 1) The Titans and Danny don't know what's going on yet, once they start to figure things out, the hints will be grand-piano sized rather than small-anvil-sized, and once they get the names, you will too. 2 (the bigger one)) They obviously like to act in secret, and the lack of names sort of mirrors that. I never thought I'd actually be using the same literary techniques that tortured me in high school, but alas, here I am. Hope that clears a few things up!

Reviewers:

**Terra89**: Are you sure you were sane when you wrote that? And yes, you're right about the villains, like I said countless times, I have no creativity whatsoever. Of course there will be more familiar enemies both for the Titans and for Danny. Be patient! Muah!

**Inumaru12**: Thanks for reading this! I'm glad this makes you happy:)

**TallieCat**: Thanks so much! That means a lot to me. And the villains are def-def-DEFinitely guessable… like I maintain, I have no creativity whatsoever, and I just lack the capacity to make up my own character. I was going to address this in full here, but decided that it would benefit everyone, so for villains, check the regular author's notes. But thanks for reading, and thanks even more for liking, and thanks even MORE for telling me so! -hugs-

**Fang50**: I'm glad you like! And to your suggestion, all I'm going to say is, the next few chapters are already written and pretty much finalized, I might do some tweaking, but that's about it. I have through chapter 19 plotted out, and a basic semi-idea till the end. So what is done, is pretty much done.

**dfd**: Thanks! I'm trying to update once midweek, and then uber-late Saturday nights. I doubt you'll get more than that, since I'm running out of written chapters, and you'll probably get a chapter once a week when you get caught up with me. But who knows? Fall break's coming up… 5 days of no classes… ;)

**Liaranne**: I guess I could put this on DPOF, if it would make you happy. I essentially created an account and left, though… hmm… But thanks for the kind words, IC-ness is my first goal with this stuff. Never hesitate to say something if I get one of the characters a little off, it's bound to happen. :)

**CK13**: Glad you like! And you're right about the villains. At least, I think you are… they're most definitely guessable. Yup. Thanks so much for reviewing!

**darklite-spirit**: Bingo! Told you I have no creativity! Check out the general author's notes for more details. Thanks for reviewing:)

**IwuvMyKenshyPoo**: Haha, I too still find "Inviso-Bill" hilarious. What a dumb name. I couldn't just kill it! Let it have some glory! But anyway, glad you're enjoying this, thanks for reading! –hug-

**NixnivisNoctua**: Thanks for reviewing! And welcome to the fic! Yes, I know that Maddie forgave Vlad in RS, but it seemed like she didn't like him. I think she still hates him with a passion, but won't be outright mean to him since he saved Danny's life. That's the way I took it, anyway. Quite honestly, I forgot about the whole thing when I wrote that scene. Thank you soooo much for bringing that up, I'll have to take my… keyboard… to it. :)

**Kikiness**: Don't get too used to the update speed, I only have through chapter 6 written! Once you get caught up with me, there's a more than decent chance I'll be slowing down. I LOVE Jazz and Danny together, the sibling bond is really great in this show. I tried really hard to make that scene as touching as I could, obviously this is why I write action-adventure stories. And no spoilers on TFM! My dorm room doesn't get cable TV, so therefore I don't get Danny. One more week… fall break… cartoons…

**teeny**: Glad you like! I love Jazz, she's (in my opinion) the best older sibling on television. She actually cares for the younger kid, so rare in TV shows these days. And plus I'm the older sister in my family, and I only have one little brother… who's a high school freshman… creepy. But I love that scene, it's one of my favorites. Thanks for the love!

**PLC the CD**: Wow, thanks for reviewing! Honest reviews are the very best kind, as always. If someone says they like it but they really don't, it doesn't help me as a writer, y'know? If you have any qualms never hesitate to address them, I'm known to screw up. Again, thanks so much!

Well, I'd _like_ to say I'll get more up this weekend, but it's the biggest football game EVER, and since I'm in band... yeah, my whole day is college football. I love it, but I'm afraid I might collapse of sheer exhaustion, after two weeks of midterms and the football weekend of the century, I'm not even kidding. And then it's fall break. So I'll just say that you'll get something within a week. Cheers!

-Mav-


	6. Together At Last

**Chapter 5: Together at Least**

Nighttime had long since fallen upon Jump City. By now, people of all ages were in their homes, sleeping, relaxing. No one would expect anything of importance to happen at this seemingly desolate time. However, two lone figures were still pacing the large, dusty room of an old, abandoned warehouse on the shoreline. Moonlight tried to creep in through the few dusty windows that were still unblocked by empty crates and boxes, to little avail, leaving the vast room still mainly shrouded in darkness.

"Remind me again what the plan is for tomorrow," the snide voice said, turning to face his companion.

"I'm sure the Titans will come back to fight. We watch them squirm," the deep voice replied, with an evil smirk behind his mask. He began idly tearing a corner of one of the many cardboard boxes, clearly bored with the conversation.

"Maddie alone will be able to take those ghosts out," the sinister voice said, protesting. "After all, they are not exactly the best fighters…"

"Then you make sure she is with you," the masked one answered as he set down his box, cutting his partner off. "She is the only one you called, of course?"

"Yes. What do you take me for, a fool?" He crossed his arms impatiently, though the tiny ray of bluish moonlight failed to show it.

"Trust is too hard to come by," the second man said simply, trying not to offend his companion. "We shall discuss what to do tomorrow once tomorrow comes."

"I look forward to it," the sinister voice replied, before turning around and vanishing into the darkness.

* * *

Unlike the quiet, haunting atmosphere of just a few short hours ago, Jump City was now overflowing with life. People flooded the sidewalks, some hurrying to work, others merely strolling, occasionally entering and exiting the various shops and restaurants. The midday sun gleamed high in the clear blue, cloudless sky, promising a good day. 

Unfortunately for Danny, Maddie had left the football-adorned curtains wide open, allowing the glorious rays of sunshine to flood into the room. One particularly bright one shone right on Danny's eyes for at least ten minutes, before he groaned, resigned to waking up. He yawned and stretched his arms while rolling over and glancing at the clock, the bright green numbers gleaming innocently at him as he cracked open one eye.

"Aww, man, I guess I should get up," he said to himself. True to her word, Maddie left a small sum of money next to Danny's beside table. Danny was unsurprised to see a very messy, hastily scrawled note accompanying the cash. "Wow," he said, "this barely even looks like Mom's handwriting!" He quickly read the note:

"_Good morning Danny,_

_I went to go meet Vlad this morning. The convention with all of the other ghost hunters and myself takes place later this afternoon, about 40 miles away from town. Due to more meetings tomorrow morning, I won't be back until 2:00 tomorrow afternoon. I will see you then. The money I left you should be enough to last you until then" –_

Danny counted the money, and gasped, thinking "yeah, that's enough money to live off of for a few _weeks_!" But he read on:

– "_but let me know if you need more, Vlad made sure to provide us with anything we might need. He really does have it all, doesn't he? I have my cell phone with me, if you need anything. I love you._

_Love, Mom. _

_PS. Make sure you have your own cell phone with you at all times. I don't want to have to worry that you can't get contact anyone. Thanks, hon."_

After reading the note, Danny grabbed his trademark red and white t-shirt and blue jeans and changed. He looked around the room, making sure he had everything he needed for a day alone in Jump City: the money, his cell phone, a room key, a few Fenton Thermoses, some other assorted gadgets with the word "Fenton" on them, and on mere chance, Maddie's note. He threw the assorted items in his backpack and headed downstairs to get lunch (the time for breakfast had long since passed).

"No way am I getting involved before I have to," Danny thought aloud as he pushed the button for the elevator. "My mom would definitely recognize me, for one thing. And heck, I don't want to fight ghosts if I don't have to!" Before he knew it, he found himself outside the hotel, wandering the streets of Jump City. He decided to go to an Internet Café, in hopes of letting an hour of Doomed relieve his stress.

* * *

"I still don't know why Vlad's having me tail this boy," the deep voice growled. "He's just a regular teenager." He peered at the black-haired, blue-eyed teen, who was currently opening the door of a small building with a modern-looking sign. "No matter. Looks like I have business to take care of at that Internet Café." 

And with that, he spun on his heels and marched out.

* * *

The Titans were relaxing in Titans Tower. They had already eaten earlier that morning, and decided in a unanimous vote not to go looking for this ghost trouble. Cyborg and Beast Boy were entranced with their GameStation; Robin was sitting on the couch, waiting to play winner of this particular race; Raven was, as always, meditating in her room; and Starfire was watching the boys, trying to learn the game. Unfortunately the players only made this task infinitely more difficult for the young Tamaranean.

"You're DEAD, BB!" Cyborg shouted as he lapped him yet again, not daring to take either of his eyes, real or mechanical, off the huge television that dominated the Titans' sitting room.

"No! Please do not kill friend Beast Boy!" Starfire pleaded, her hands over her heart.

"Relax, Star. They're just playing. It's all friendly," Robin said. At that precise moment, Cyborg smashed Beast Boy's car into the side railing.

"BOO-YAH! In your FACE!" shouted Cyborg as Beast Boy grumpily handed off his controller to Robin.

"That is a sign of friendship?" Starfire asked, scratching her head, obviously confused.

"Sort of," Robin said, as he picked up the controller. Suddenly, the alarm went off.

"Trouble?" Beast Boy asked, looking away from the screen.

"Trouble," Robin replied. "Titans, GO!"

The five teens immediately abandoned Titans Tower. Starfire and Raven chose flight, as did Beast Boy once he shifted into a more suitable animal, this time, a hawk. Robin and Cyborg headed down to the T-Car, speeding off after the girls toward the Internet Café.

* * *

"Ah, just like home," Danny said as he opened the clear glass doors of this particular Internet Café. "Nothing like a rousing round of Doomed to take your mind off ghost hunting problems," he added as he sat down in front of the nearest open computer. He turned it on, thoroughly ready to enjoy the game, when his ghost sense went off. 

"Well, my ghost-free vacation sure was short-lived," he said, letting the bluish mist fade away as he got up to find a convenient place to go ghost. This happened to be behind a dumpster in an alley behind the café. "You know, you would think that a café that doesn't serve food wouldn't have this disgusting of a dumpster," he said, as he looked at the heaps of garbage in disgust.

Shaking his head, he cried, "I'm goin' ghost!" as the two electric blue light rings passed over him, leaving Danny Phantom in their wake. He soon sped off, determined to find the source of the problem.

"Ugh, not you guys AGAIN!" Danny shouted to Vlad's creations. "I thought I convinced you that Vlad was the enemy!" The biggest one, the bear-like creature, just growled as he swiped at Danny with one of his massive paws. "Or, maybe you just forgot, you know, whatever works," he added, laughing nervously. The huge bear took another, more accurate swipe at him, which Danny had to go intangible for to avoid.

"Alright, you asked for it…!" he cried as he dodged another swipe and fired an ectoplasmic energy blast. While he was down, Danny took the opportunity to fly back behind the dumpster and retrieve his Fenton Thermos from his backpack, which he brought along solely for the purpose of holding ghost hunting equipment.

"Eat Thermos, you… big bear thing!" he shouted, ending lamely as he sucked the bear into the thermos. "Anyone else wanna try me?" he taunted, shaking the thermos.

The animal hybrids were all apparently either very determined or very stupid, as they all flew toward Danny: of course, he beat each of them almost lazily before sucking them into the Thermos.

"Ha! Serves you right, for ruining my vacation! Well, technically I knew I would have to deal with you guys eventually, but that's besides the point," Danny said, as he replaced the lid of the Fenton Thermos after sucking up a rabbit with three eyes and turned to fly back down behind the dumpster.

"Wait!" cried a new voice. "Who are you?" For unbeknownst to Danny, the Teen Titans had been in the alley, watching every second of Danny's fight.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Sorry this took so long, guys. I was very stupid and didn't take my laptop home over fall break, and guess where all my Alliance files were? Yeah.But better late than never. I'll try to have another part up next weekend. I'm going to be a busy little bee from here thru Thanksgiving, football games every weekend! Band has officially consumed my life. Plus I have to get the DPOF people up to speed... they only have chapter 1! How tragic. But anyway, I'll quit my rambling and start the reviewer's thanks, a little shorter than normal, but I'm honestly tired and don't feel like typing.

**IwuvMyKenshyPoo**, **dArkliTe-sPirit**, **dfd**, **xerxes93**: I tried. Don't kill me. They'll come sooner, I promise.

**elvenprincess31212003**, **atlantiandragoness**,** kitsune07**:Welcome to the fic! Glad you like, I'll try to be faster with updates! Promise.

**Liaranne**: Wow, I heart you. That's all I can say. Oh yeah, and don't feel obliged to review in both places, the DPOF will very soon be caught up. I feel bad for not updating.

**Halfa Wannabe**: Glad you like, and thanks so much for the compliment!

**Terra89**: Whoa, I don't know where to start... I play clarinet, 9 years strong, and I'm pretty dang good at it. On the contrary, I hate all things English and love all things math, I even took my 2 graphing calcs with me to college and I'm not enrolled in a math class. Sad, I know. I don't remember what else you asked and I'm too lazy to look it up, but I'm glad you like this and I'll try to update faster.

**teeny**: Aww... you're hooked? I'm amazing? Wow... I can feel the love through my computer. I love Jazz too, I tried to make at least a couple good brother-sister moments in here, she definitely rocks. Unfortunately the busy weekends are not over yet, but I'm trying, darnit!

**Inumaru12**: Yes, I have indeed read Faith and Trust. It's most excellent. Her work is some of the best out there. Most definitely. Thanks for continuing to read, I'll update quicker next time.

Sorry if I forgot anyone, you have my permission to yell at me in form of a review saying _"Mav, whaddya DOING! You forgot me!" _Until next time...

-Mav-


	7. When Superheros Collide

From the last chapter…

"_Wait!" cried a new voice. "Who are you?" For unbeknownst to Danny, the Teen Titans had been in the alley, watching every second of Danny's fight._

* * *

**Chapter 6: When Superheroes Collide**

"What?" answered Danny, at a loss for words. "Wait, who are you?"

"That's what I just said to you," the teen said. Whereas Danny was outright confused, this new teenager was clearly feeling a mix of frustration and mistrust with the slightest twinges of annoyance and loathing. His arms were crossed, his eyes narrowed. He was not smiling, in fact, his facial expression told anyone around him that he was not remotely pleased that some new kid had just beaten a group of enemies that his own team could not even touch.

"My name's… Phantom," Danny said. He didn't want to give out his first name, especially to such a formidable person, yet unclear if friend or foe. Not that the newly placed emblem on his chest would help him out in that department. Danny sighed inwardly, before redirecting the newcomer's question. "And yours? It's only common courtesy, you know," he added, trying to be amiable.

"I'm Robin," this teen said, and motioning to those standing (or hovering) around him, he added, "and this is Cyborg –"

"Yo yo!" He certainly looked friendly, despite Robin's disposition.

"Beast Boy –"

"Hey man!" he said, hi-five-ing the halfa, who kindly returned it, grateful that the rest of the team seemed friendlier than its leader.

"Raven –"

"My pleasure." Danny noted the definite lack of pleasure in her voice.

"And Starfire. We're the Teen Titans, we're the good guys in this city. Don't mess with us, unless you want to end up in prison," he finished, still glaring. Danny was about to answer Robin, but the fifth Titan had not yet had her say.

"Oh HELLO! Where do you come from, how did you get here, what's your favorite color, and do you wish to be my friend?" Starfire asked, no longer hovering, but jumping up and down.

"Um, Earth, flew, blue, and only if your friend lightens up," Danny said, smiling, while at the same time shooting a raised eyebrow over at the leader.

"Oh PLEASE friend Robin, will you please do the 'lightening up' so I can have a new friend Phantom?" Starfire pleaded, her hands folded as if in prayer.

"Oh, alright," Robin said, rolling his eyes and looking away. Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at each other and burst into laughter. "What's so funny, guys!" he shouted, turning his glare from Danny onto his own teammates.

"Anything for _Starfire_," Beast Boy said, still laughing. Robin blushed as the other boys continued to laugh. Danny had since floated down to the ground, and was trying to figure out what was going on, before Starfire interrupted his thoughts.

"YAY!" Starfire shouted gleefully, clapping her hands. Apparently she took no heed of what Beast Boy had said. "Hello, new friend Phantom!" she exclaimed happily. Before he knew it, she had pulled him into a bone-breaking hug.

"Ouch – Uh, hi," Danny said, pulling her off of him. "It's a pleasure meeting all of you, but I still don't get it. What do you want from me?"

"Those monsters attacked yesterday, and we didn't even stand a chance. How did you manage to beat them so quickly?" Robin asked, still not entirely friendly, though he did lighten up considerably on Starfire's request. "It didn't seem possible to us."

"There's an easy answer to that," Danny laughed, "those monsters are ghosts. And I'm a ghost." Danny paused, thinking, _well, technically half ghost_... He added aloud, "Put two and two together…"

"Makes sense. That would at least explain why we couldn't fight those guys," Cyborg said, scratching his chin.

"When you were talking to those ghosts you acted as though you've met them before…" Raven said, addressing Danny not unlike the way Robin spoke to him; she assumed he was an enemy, rather than a friend.

"That's because I have. My arch-enemy created them, so they could attack my family – me, my dad, and my sister, anyway. He has a thing for my mom –" he shuddered at the thought – "yeah, so he didn't send them to attack her."

"Well, they're gone now, right?" Cyborg asked, grinning. So whaddya say we go get some pizza to celebrate?"

"WOO! Yeah! Veggie pizza all the way!" Beast Boy shouted as he followed Cyborg to the T-Car.

"YAY, new friend! Come celebrate with us!" Starfire shouted, as she dragged him into the sky, pulling him for several seconds before he realized what was going on and flew by himself.

After the two airborne teens flew off, Robin turned to Raven. "Well… should we trust him?"

"He has done nothing to earn our trust," Raven replied, somewhat bitterly. "He is a ghost, one of the most mistrusted beings to roam the Earth. He has power that even he does not recognize. He could be very dangerous, Robin."

"I know. If the wrong people reach him first–"

"Hey Robin, Raven, you guys comin' or what?" yelled Cyborg from the T-Car.

"We'll finish this later," Raven said quietly, before sulking off to the car.

"Yeah, that we will," Robin said, joining the rest of the team as they set out for lunch.

* * *

"You do know that mustard doesn't go on pizza… right?" Danny asked as Starfire dumped gobs of the yellow condiment onto her lunch. She then smiled broadly before taking a huge bite of her pizza. Danny shuddered and looked away to prevent himself from throwing up right on the spot. 

"Yeah, she does that," Beast Boy said, grinning. "Just don't look."

"How can she eat that!" Danny exclaimed as she added cookies and peanut butter to her mustard-covered slice. "It's like inhuman!"

"Uh, man, she isn't human…" Cyborg said. "She's a Tamaranean. As in, from the planet Tamaran."

"Oh… right," Danny said, just accepting the fact that there was a beautiful alien sitting in front of him, and that there was indeed a planet called Tamaran. "Well that WOULD explain it then," he added, laughing.

"But what about you, man?" Cyborg said. "You haven't touched your pizza."

"Well, truth be told, I'm not sure that I can eat… I'm only part ghost. The other part of me is human," Danny said. "I've never tried to eat while I'm like this."

At this, Raven's expression inexplicably softened. She quietly picked at her pizza while her teammates bombarded the boy with questions, individual voices indistinguishable.

"What…!"

"How can you be only part ghost?"

"What does your human half look like?"

"Why are you here?"

"Do you like being a superhero?"

"ALRIGHT, guys, I'll promise I'll explain, just not right now!" Danny said, throwing his hands in the air. "Right now I need to figure out if I can eat in my ghost form," he finished, eyeing up his piece of pizza.

"Weh nowfa goo tie 'oo twyit," Beast Boy said, his mouth stuffed with veggie pizza. The whole table went silent, just looked at him and burst out laughing. "Wha…?" Beast Boy cried, his hands in the air.

"Try swallowing," Raven said, scowling. "That goes for you too, Phantom."

"Well, here goes…" Danny said as he tentatively took a bite. Seconds later, he was pleased to find out that he could in fact eat while in ghost mode, and quickly scarfed down a few pieces of pizza. Once the table had settled down again, Cyborg tried to question Danny again.

"So how _did_ you become half ghost?" he asked, taking the last slice of pepperoni pizza.

"Umm…" Danny started. "It's kind of a personal story, and we just met. I didn't even talk to my own sister about it until a week ago. Granted, she knew the whole time, but that's besides the point." Danny looked down at his feet, blushing, embarrassed. Only one Titan really knew what to say.

"It's alright, Phantom, I understand," a voice said quietly. Everyone turned and looked at Raven. She just shrugged.

"Raven, I thought you didn't trust this kid!" Robin whispered vehemently in Raven's ear.

"I'm not saying I do," she retorted, equally quiet. "But I can sympathize with his problems." Danny was not the only half-human half-feared-creature that tried to use his power for good instead of ever-tempting evil.

After a slightly awkward pause, Danny, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire started conversing again, fully enjoying their lunch, not caring about a thing in the world. Raven, despite her normally sour attitude, joined them as she took a bite of her own pizza. Sensing defeat, Robin quickly joined in his friends' conversation, attempting to enjoy the remainder of the beautiful afternoon.

* * *

"Do you now see why this child is so important!" the ghost hissed at his masked companion. 

"Not yet he isn't," he replied. "But if he could be swayed to our side… I could train his human side –"

"And I, his ghost side –"

"What an alliance that would make."

"Indeed."

The usually menacing man flexed his fingers, almost lazily. "Very well, then. I shall try to convince the boy. In the meantime…"

"I will take care of the Teen Titans. Do we have a deal?"

He nodded. "For now," he said, as his companion extended his ghostly hand. The man returned the handshake, and turned away as the ghost phased out of the building. No one saw him muttering to himself and stroking his chin as he walked away.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me this long to update. Really, truly, I am. My schedule this month is simply _horrendous_… I keep thinking about you all though, and I have gotten another couple chapters written. Now I have through chapter 8 done, though I'll need to proof them a couple times before I post. But anyway, yeah, my schedule's been hectic, and there's been a football game every weekend (read: band has consumed my life). Better late than never, I guess.

I just want to say to everyone, I'm glad you're still reading this, especially considering the long gap between updates. Unfortunately I don't see anything getting easier for me until Christmastime. And then it's bowl game extravaganza! Not that you care, so long as I update, right?

* * *

Reviewers: 

OK, so first I'd like to personally thank **C.K.13**, who I forgot to mention last time… she still has my full permission to yell at me, but she's too sweet. Thank you so so so so much for reading this, even though I'm a complete dimwit. I love you forever!

Everyone else:  
**  
****teeny**, **dfd**, **The Halfa Wannabe**, **Kikiness**, **Danaphantom**, **TallieCat**, **Sqweakie**, **Inumaru12**: Yay for this being good! Hope you liked this part too! Sorry about the wait. I'm looking forward to more reviews.;-) I love all of you! Thanks for continuing to read this. :)

**IwuvMyKenshyPoo**: I'm officially abbreviating your name to wuvKP. Sorry, I'm just a lazy, lazy girl. But to answer your question, when the Titans met Danny, they had no idea who he was. Just a random newbie. They didn't know he was a ghost, or that he tries to be a hero, or anything like that… They just saw that he was getting rid of the bad guys, and naturally they were curious. Wouldn't you be? Hope that makes more sense to you!

**butterBiscuts**, **storm**, **Shell**, **Erebus Faustus**, **Stephen King Reincarnated**, **Bananawings72**: Welcome to the fic! I'm so glad you all like this! I'm quite honored. Sorry about the cliffhanger… especially over such a long update time. I'll try not to do that. That's only a baby cliffie compared what's coming. ;-) That is, if I can write it right. But I'm glad you like, keep reading and reviewing! I love new input!

**Terra89**: Whoa girl, take a chill pill! And I promise to read your stuff as soon as this is over, whenever that day comes. Cross my heart. But right now, college has consumed my very being, I kid you not. I seriously haven't read anyone else's fanfiction since I started posting chapters to this devil of a project. But remind me once the story's over, and I'll be glad to read! -

**Xerxes93**: Now threats aren't very nice… but I promise, I will EVENTUALLY finish the story. Even if it takes me several decades, and we're all old and gray and reading this fic. I'm you like it so much to threaten me though… if that makes any sense.

**GK**: First off, welcome to the fic! To answer questions, the ghosts that Danny was (rather easily) fighting were the same dudes from Maternal Instincts. They're basically ghosts of animals that Vlad manipulated (and mutated). And the Titans weren't fighting them that time, they saw Danny and just stood at the sidelines and watched in awe. Danny was too busy fighting to notice the Titans, and since this scene was mostly written from Danny's point of view, I didn't want to address it any earlier. That was some excellent reading on your part, by the way! Please, keep looking for details like that! Thanks for the review, and please please PLEASE keep reviewing! It's reviews like this that make me a better writer.

**kinguofdoragons**: If you could write more than a "?" I'd appreciate it. Either that, or something in the system just didn't work. Glad you at least took the time to read this, anyway.

**My Eternal Facade**: First of all, welcome! I love new reviewers, that always makes me smile. Especially when it's been three weeks since I've posted anything new. As far as clarity in my writing, I'm sure it could be better. I have this issue in that I forget that you all can't read my mind. Kind of a problem. But at least it's one I'm conscious of… right… If there's ever anything specific you have issues with, please say something. I'm constantly editing and re-editing… But anyway, glad you like, hopefully you like this next part too.

I _think_ that's everybody… again, please let me know if I forgot you. I really really HATE when I do that…

* * *

To all of you: Thanks for setting a new reviewing record for me! Please, keep telling me how I'm doing, that's the only way I can make this more enjoyable. As always, new reviewers (and anonymous reviewers) are always welcome. I love the fresh feedback. And of course, I love the returners' input as well – you guys see how this is evolving! 

Until next time…

-Mav-


	8. Truth

**Chapter 7: Truth**

Sunset. It's a glorious, beautifultime. While bringing a close to the wonders of the day, it opens the world to the mysteries of the night. Some activities cease, just as others begin. The natural light of day is overcome with the neon lights of night life. Street lights, window lights, glowing signs, all attempting to shed light on the endless darkness. One particular set of lights stood out in the infinite shadow, as they moved toward a tall tower bearing a well known shape.

"Wow, _this_ is where you guys live?" asked Danny, in awe of the façade of Titans Tower. He edged around Beast Boy, who quickly changed into a small kitten to accommodate the extra passenger, to get a better look.

"Yep, that's the place," Robin said as Cyborg parked at the base of their home.

"Sorry Phantom, but I'm going to have to kick you out of the car for a minute, wouldn't want you seeing the passcodes into our security system," Cyborg said, looking truly apologetic.

"No problem. I'll meet you guys inside," Danny said, phasing through the roof of the car and flying toward the upper part of the T that was the Titans' home.

"Umm, where is he going?" Starfire asked. "The door is down here, Phantom!" she cried. But Danny was nowhere to be found. At least, not that the Titans could see.

"That's odd…" Robin said. "Well, so much for the better. Come on, let's get inside," he said as he quickly hopped out of the car and starting heading toward the base of the tower.

"Dude, do you have a problem with Phantom?" Beast Boy shouted at Robin. "What did he ever do to _you_?" Robin ignored him as he punched in the password to open the door. "Hey, man, I'm talking to you!" Beast Boy shouted angrily, catching up to the leader of his team.

Raven trapped Beast Boy with a dark barrier just in time, as he was about ready to grab Robin's shoulder and pick a fight. "Leave him alone," Raven said, releasing him from her magic as Robin disappeared into the Tower. "If he doesn't want to trust Phantom he doesn't have to." Beast Boy (for once) said nothing and stormed off into the tower, the other Titans following him.

* * *

Danny, in the meantime, had flown up toward the top of Titans Tower, leaving the rest of the team to get in the traditional way. Of course, he immediately went intangible and phased through the front window of the tower, letting himself in. His first reaction was simply, "WOW." 

The room he was in was no more or less than the average teenager's dream lounge. The magnificent red couch sitting in front of him beckoned him to sit down, relax, be comfortable, among its folds of red fabric and, underneath, layers of the softest material you could imagine. In front of it gleamed the enormous television, stretching from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, almost daring Danny to turn it on. On the floor was an obviously hurriedly-abandoned GameStation, games scattered all over the floor, controllers tossed messily away from the sofa. A short row of what seemed to be super-computerslay innocentlyoff to his right, as he faced the television. He turned around, expecting nothing short of fantasy. Instead, he got a kitchen, albeit a grand one, with clearly state-of-the-art… well, _everything._

Everything Danny saw was simply magnificent. Nothing was any less than top-notch, the highest of quality. And the highest of coolness.

"Oh man, if only Tucker were here," he said to himself. "He would have a field day!"

He hovered a bit more, looking around in awe, and of course,he took careto stay invisible, should the Titans walk in. He had no desire to shock them with his sudden appearance, especially with Robin being so mistrusting. He just wanted to check out the tower a bit before the rest of the team got in. His adventure in the living room was short lived, however, as Robin stormed in, muttering to himself. Danny remained invisible in the corner for the time being, listening to Robin.

"Why do they not believe me?" he said. "We have no reason to trust him!" He paused for a moment, letting his rage subside before speaking again. "He doesn't even realize his potential. He could be so dangerous. What if the wrong people were to find him? Like Terra…" He trailed off into silence, shaking his head. By now Danny had picked up on the fact that Robin was talking about him, but before he could think about it too deeply, the rest of the Titans entered the room, cautious of their leader.

"You alright, man?" Cyborg asked, locking the door behind him as he approached Robin. "You seem really worried."

"I'm fine," he said bluntly. He looked away and started pacing again.

"No, you are not," Starfire said. "Please, tell us what is troubling you." Robin turned around and sighed.

"I'm a bit nervous about Phantom, that's all," Robin said, resigned to talking to his team.

"A bit?" Raven said sarcastically. "Only if a 'bit' refers to how much we like Beast Boy's cooking." Beast Boy barely had time to protest before Robin cut him off, ignoring him.

"Well, we were all eager to trust Terra, too… I don't want the same thing to happen to Phantom," Robin said. "We could all be in serious danger. It's obvious he has more power than any of us could even dream of. If the wrong people got to him…"

"They already have," Danny said, making himself visible. "And you have nothing to worry about. I turned him down, and always will. I promise."

"WHOA, where'd _you_ come from!" Beast Boy cried, stunned.

"Come to think of it, he _did_ say he'd meet us in here," Raven said thoughtfully.

"But how did you get in!" Starfire cried. "The only entrance into our home is where we came in, and you were not there!"

"Like this," Danny said, going intangible as he flew through the roof out of the building and back in through the window. "Being part ghost has its advantages."

"How much did you hear?" Robin said, looking thoroughly irritated.

"All of it," Danny said, looking ashamed. "Look," he said, "I know you guys don't trust me, and I don't expect you to. Most of my hometown doesn't trust me, and I save their butts from the bad guys all the time."

"So you're a super hero too? Like, not a super _villain_?" Beast Boy said, redirecting his attention to Robin on this last word. Robin said nothing, but rather looked to Danny, his eyes asking for either confirmation or explanation, or both.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Danny said, floating down to the ground, standing amongst the Titans.

"And you don't get any help? At _all_? _EVER_?" Cyborg said, trying to comprehend Danny's seemingly unfathomable situation.

"Well, my friends help when they can, but there's really not much they can do," he replied, with a hint of pride detectable in his voice. "I pretty much take care of my town alone."

"Let's just get right to it," Robin said, thoroughly irritated. "If you want us to trust you, you're going to have to trust us. You can start with your name."

"But Robin—" Starfire said, trying to plead with her friend and leader.

"No buts, Star," Robin said, turning his attention back on Danny.

Danny sighed. "Well, then, to start, my name is Danny, but if could you _please_ call me Phantom during fights and stuff..."

"Why, Ph-- Danny?" Starfire asked, looking at him with fascination.

"I don't want anyone figuring out who I am. Like my mom," he said.

"Your mom's here?" Cyborg asked, puzzled.

"How else would I get here?" Danny asked, laughing.

"You said you flew…" Starfire said, confused as well.

"Uh, in an airplane," Danny replied.

"So you lied to Starfire? Not a good way to earn our trust," Robin said, almost cruelly. By this point he was unashamedly glaring straight at Danny.

"No, I didn't!" Danny shouted, his eyes glowing slightly brighter for a brief moment. "She asked how I got here, I said I flew. I never said I flew of my own power!" he said.

"Clever," Raven said, stroking her chin. "A little devious, maybe, but definitely clever."

Danny just shrugged.

"I don't mean to be a liar," he said. "Really, I don't…"

"It is alright, Danny," Starfire said. "I understand."

"I'm still curious about how you got to be like this," Cyborg said. "There can't be many half-ghosts around."

Danny sighed. "There aren't. I'm only the second in existence. And probably the last."

"Second?" The question came from Raven. "What do you mean, _second_? Surely you know who the first is," she said, her arms crossed.

"Well yeah, but I really need to use that as blackmail for later," Danny said. "We don't exactly get along."

"Please, tell us your story," Starfire said, rapt with attention.

Danny took a seat on the couch, where he was quickly joined by Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire. Raven hesitated slightly before joining them, but Robin took the full moment to glare at Danny before being last to join his company on the sitting room couch.

"Sorry," Danny said, noticing Robin's attitude. "It's a long story. I thought we should probably get comfortable." The rest of the Titans all nodded in understanding, but Robin maintained his stony glare.

"Well then… uh, about a year ago my parents were working on one of their crazy projects. Like everything else, they couldn't get it to work. But me and my friends were hanging out in the lab one day, and my friend Sam wanted to check out this one out. It still wasn't working, so I decided to go in there–"

"In where?" Robin asked, a bit too crossly for the other Titans' likings. Beast Boy glared at the boy wonder, who pretended not to see the green changeling looking daggers across the room.

"Into the ghost portal, which was at the time just a big hole in the wall of our basement." At this, Raven's eyes lit up, but Danny's energies were focused on Robin, and he therefore failed to notice anything unusual on the side of the room where Raven was sitting. He continued on as if nothing had happened.

"But, um, anyway," he said, visibly shaking. "I, um, put on one of my parents' spare lab suits, which kind of looked like this" –he pointed at the suit he was wearing– "but, um, with a picture of my dad's head on it. Sam covered it with this thing,and I, uh, walked in, tripped over a cord, fell against the power button, and I come out like this." He had been talking increasingly faster, looking at his knees rather than in the eyes of the five curious Titans, andhonestly, everyone around him could sense that hewas truly relieved when it was over.

"Wow, how cool is THAT!" Beast Boy shouted, breaking the deafening silence. Half laughing, he jumped off the couch, jogging over to wring Danny's hand like he was some sort of celebrity. "You trip over a power cord, and you become a super hero!" Danny laughed with him, relaxing slightly, before Robin cut him off.

"You said your _friends_ were with you," Robin said, putting emphasis on the plurality of 'friends', still glaring. "We know about Sam. So there was someone else?"

"Yeah, Tucker. But he didn't really do much. As always," Danny chuckled, thinking about his other best friend.

"So that's it?" Robin asked. "End of story?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Danny said, looking a little ashamed. "I couldn't control these powers when I first got them, I don't even know how no one managed to find out. But I'm doing a lot better, I think… but there will always be someone better than me."

"The other hybrid?" Raven asked.

"The other hybrid," Danny said, nodding. "He can do things that I can't still. But then again, he's had twenty years of practice."

"WHOA," Cyborg said, amazed. "And here I thought _you_ were the most p–"

"Shut UP," Raven hissed in his ear.

"Right, shuttin' up," Cyborg said, the human half of his face blushing.

"I'm what?" Danny asked, clearly confused.

"Nothing," Cyborg said, still embarrassed. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, that's all there is to tell," Danny said, shrugging. "Don't even ask who my human half is, I'm not going there. There are only three people on the planet that know, and two of them saw it happen. I don't mind trusting you, it's just too personal."

"I can understand that," Raven said, nodding. Robin still looked mistrustful, but finally, the rest of the Titans finally treated Danny like he was truly, well, one of them.

And truth be told, Danny finally felt like he belonged.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Wow, I'm really sorry about the long wait. I know it's been four weeks… gahh… finals are an butt-pain, they are. Actually, I should be studying now… ah well. A couple of orders of business:

1. Sorry, but it's going to be another four weeks before the next chapter. For one, it's Christmas and New Year's; for another, I have to write more. I only have through chapter 8 written. I need a bigger margin!

2. This will not, and I repeat, WILL NOT be a romance fic of ANY kind. No Danny/Raven, no Maddie/Vlad, not even the almost inevitable Robin/Starfire. I don't want to see romance in the shows, so I won't write about it here. Things that the characters may say or do reflect simply what I would imagine them doing on the show. Really, I do believe Robin would cave in to Starfire on _some_ issues, and also that Raven can really relate to Danny. They have a lot in common, if you think about it. I'm sorry if this news makes half of you stomp out of the room, but I'm stubborn like that, and won't write a romance.

3. Bad news, guys. _Teen Titans_ is in danger of being cancelled. This is very tragic, as it is simply one of the best shows that Cartoon Network plays, in my own humble opinion. For more information, I find that **titansgo **dot** net** (with a '.' in place of the 'dot') is a legit source of information on everything Titans.

4. I'm not doing individual thank-you's anymore. It takes too much time, effort, and space to do so. Sorry guys, there's just so many of you! Not that I don't want you guys to reply to this (oh heavens, please keep it up!), but I just don't have the capacity to go through my inbox and reply to this many reviews. It's truly amazing.

A couple specific answers for a couple specific questions:

**Savage Solutions** – Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm new at this (obviously), and this is the longest the author's notes will ever get for future chapters. : )

**Terra89** – Yes, I've read that story as well. Although I must say, the literary quality of this one will never live up to that one. : )

**shi izen fumeiyo** – If you forgot what you wrote, re-read it. For chapter length, I really can't afford to make them longer, since I don't have that much time to write. And the breaks I put in are quite logical, in my opinion. As for Maddie, all I have to say to you is, wow, you're a very good reader. _Very _good. ; )

Thank you also to everyone else, old and new, simply for reading, enjoying, and leaving a review. Love all around! And on that note, I bid you all adieu.

-Mav-


	9. NOTICE

NOTICE

Hey guys,

I apologize profusely for the lack of updating. College is a lot busier than I thought it would be, and frankly, I don't have the time to watch cartoons (as amazing as these two particular shows are). I couldn't believe it when I realized it had been a full year (plus a little) since I had last watched TT or DP.

As such, I feel that it's time to take some action regarding this fic.

Believe it or not, I still get reviews from you guys, even though the last update was in the year 2005. For this, I am very honored. Never thought anyone would appreciate MY writing skill… maybe some of you should talk to my professors…? Anyway, since I'm not up-to-date with either show, I feel I can no longer serve as your author.

A lot of you guys have begged me through either reviews or PMs to keep going with the fic. So what I'm going to do is give one of you the chance to take over for me. I had a few thoughts in mind, but those are obviously not set in stone, for where I wanted this story to go.

Here's the plan:

1. If you have any interest in continuing the story, send me a PM. Sooner is better than later.

2. We'll talk about our ideas for the story, see where the conversation goes.

3. Once the author is ready to go, he or she would write the chapters, I'll beta them for him or her (if you're new to fan fiction, that means proofread) and submit the chapter.

I'll give New Author all the credit, don't worry. But I'd like to keep the story under my penname, so everyone else doesn't get confused. Should you be a non-lazy-butt (unlike your current author!) and finish the story, we can move it to your penname.

Sound like a plan?

I'll let you guys know what's going on as soon as I know. With any luck, there'll be a new chapter up very soon!

So get the PMs rollin!

-Mav


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